French Literature Reviews - 2026

Schon, Nathalie, Auto-Exoticism in the Literatures of the French Antilles
Francophone and Oral Literatures

Schon, Nathalie, L'auto-exotisme dans les littératures des Antilles françaises, Karthala, 2003.

Studies on the literatures of the French Antilles are often framed around past and present relations between France and the islands. Given their shared history, this approach is undoubtedly relevant. However, it carries the drawback of framing any divergence from mainland literature as exclusively characteristic of the Antilles, thereby erasing the convergences or divergences that Caribbean literatures share among themselves.

Furthermore, Martinique and Guadeloupe—simultaneously French départements and island societies shaped by colonial structures (both economically and culturally)—are inherently ambiguous societies. It is precisely this ambiguity that permeates even the least politically engaged literary works. It gives rise to a fundamental sentiment experienced by the Antillean character: auto-exoticism, or the condition of being exotic to oneself.

This comparative literature study examines Caribbean works through sociological, psychoanalytical, and literary lenses in an effort to unpack this identity ambiguity. This ambiguity fosters divergent imaginative landscapes across the two islands, each attempting in its own way to answer a single question: can one belong both here and there without remaining an eternal stranger?

Discussions surrounding Caribbean literatures frequently emphasize the historical and cultural ties binding the islands to mainland France. While this perspective remains pertinent, it risks isolating Antillean writing from broader regional dynamics and obscures the distinct literary exchanges occurring among the islands themselves. The region encompasses territories shaped by complex colonial structures and dual identities, conditions that profoundly influence cultural production. Within these societies, literature often reflects an internal tension regarding belonging and cultural orientation, capturing the intricate relationship individuals maintain with their own cultural environment.

Readers interested in Caribbean studies, comparative literature, and the sociology of identity may find this volume relevant. This comparative literature study examines Caribbean works through sociological, psychoanalytical, and literary lenses in an effort to unpack this identity ambiguity. The work addresses how Martinican and Guadeloupean texts articulate the experience of auto-exoticism, or the condition of being exotic to oneself, while attempting to answer whether one can belong both here and there without remaining an eternal stranger.